Electrical wiring devices fall into many different categories depending upon various aspects of the electrical wiring device. For example, dead front electrical connectors typically fall into the category of electrical wiring devices known generally in the trade as electrical cord connectors. Cord connectors of this type may be male or female, and are generally attached to the end of an insulated cord or cable for use in supplying power to electrical equipment, appliances or the like. A male cord connector is often referred to as a plug, while a female cord connector is often referred to as a receptacle.
Electrical cord connectors of this type are often attached to the associated conductors in situ, and in the circumstances it is important that the connector be adapted for quick and easy attachment to its associated conductor, and in a manner to assure against loosening of the desired electrical connection of the conductors to the terminals of the connector during regular use of the device. This is of particular importance considering the fact that the device may be subjected to hard and frequent use in shops, factories, and other commercial establishments, as well as in residential environments.
The electrical cord connector may be generally classified as being of the type in which the cord is inserted in one end of a housing with its conductors coupled in a forward portion of the housing to the terminals of the male or female contacts, and provided, in the present instance, with a "dead front" for safety purposes.
Currently, there are many different types of electrical cord connectors available on the market. However, these prior electrical cord connectors often suffer from many disadvantages to them. In some instances, the electrical cord connectors of the prior art have been exceedingly expensive, having a large number of parts which not only are high in cost, considering the cost of the parts themselves, but also, involve excessive expenditure as regards assembly labor.
In other instances, the electrical cord connectors of the prior art have had the undesirable characteristic wherein they can be assembled on the job, or by the ultimate purchaser, only at the cost of an excessive amount of time. In such instances, it has been common to provide one or more screws, which must be individually threaded into cooperating openings on one of the connector parts, for the purpose of assembling the cooperating connector part or parts therewith.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for an electrical wiring device or cord connector which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble on an end of an electrical cord, and which will overcome the above-mentioned problems of the prior art devices. This invention addresses this need in the art along with other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.